This invention relates to jaw type clamps, and is more particularly related to a guard or protective member that can be removably fitted onto one jaw of a clamp, especially of the Vise-Grip C-clamp locking pliers.
A number of C-jaw or L-jaw clamps are available in the form of locking pliers. If these are applied directly to wooden workpieces, the steel jaw tip can mar or crack the workpiece. A number of adaptive gripping members have been earlier proposed, such as in Fitzpatrick U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,092, which shows a table or anvil permanently attached to one jaw by means of a pivot pin. There are other specialized members available for a variety of purpose. For example, a slide-on jaw attachment for a pliers type clamping grip wrench is described in Cressy U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,671, and a rubber insert for a pliers jaw is described in Tartaglia et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,447. However, no one has previously proposed or suggested a removably attachable member that can assist in gripping the workpiece and also protect the workpiece from damage by the jaw during clamping.